


Here in the Arena (Is the place I've been looking for)

by Ian_the_Existential_Crisis



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Anita and her family, Character Study, I really just wanted to write about Bangalore, Plotless, Use of Lore, bloodhound is they/them, no ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ian_the_Existential_Crisis/pseuds/Ian_the_Existential_Crisis
Summary: Anita always wondered where she would be when she grew up. Would she find a place that fit  her?Alternative title:This place seems like a home.
Kudos: 7





	Here in the Arena (Is the place I've been looking for)

**Author's Note:**

> I really just wanted to write something non-shippy for Bangalore. I love her.
> 
> I take requests. Also, I have a [Tumblr](https://ians-fanfic-trove.tumblr.com/post/630883040448708608/here-in-the-arena) dedicated to nothing but fanfiction previews and updates. No personal stuff allowed there.

She was born a warrior. Rearing for action and combat at every chance she got. But, she also had four older brothers who would constantly be at each other's throats. If she wasn't strong enough to stop them, then she would just as easily be dragged in. They didn't care if she was a girl, they never went easy on her. 

Even Jackson, her favorite older brother didn't go easy on her. It took her a long time to be grateful to her family for being the way they were. But in the end, she was indeed grateful. Especially to Jackie. He did teach her everything she knew. He was like a hero to her. He never slowed down, but he somehow forced her to keep pace. 

In a way, that's probably what made Anita the way she was. 

She was born into a military family. So even her mother didn't go easy. There were things they expected from her. Things that she fell in love with along the way. Originally gun practice was just a chore. She would scowl every time she was told to practice. She hated the sound of a firing p2020. But the older she grew, the more she realized that she was enjoying it. The smell of gunpowder, the feeling of recoil, the joy of hitting her target. After a while, it felt like any target she laid her eyes on was already down for the count. 

It wasn't until being a grunt herself did she realize how different it felt to hit a real target. But once again, Jackson was there for her. By her side when she needed help. He always was. But she made sure not to take him for granted. Being in their family, everyday could be the last. 

"Jackie?" She called him one night. Most of the other soldiers were asleep already, but she wanted to do one final round before she went off. "What comes next?" 

"What do you mean?"

"The war's over. Sure people have been antsy lately without any fighting going on, but what's next? When there's nothing left to fight?"

"Maybe we'll be discharged? Who knows. Would be nice to go home and spend a holiday or two with the family." He gave her a laugh as his response. "Maybe start our own families."

"Come on Jackie. Me? A mom?" She snorted at the thought. "That's never going to happen. Besides, we've got you and the others to carry in our prideful line."

"Nita, we all have to grow up sometime. Mom and dad are expecting you to get married one day. You don't have to leave training and fighting behind, mom sure as heck didn't. But they expect you to have a family and life of your own. Get married, settle down for a while. The world can wait while you make yourself happy."

Anita had thought about it before. She thought about it a lot actually. She didn't want to settle down. She sure as hell didn't want a man. She wanted someone who could match her. But maybe she was being too pessimistic. Maybe she hadn't met the right person yet. 

"Being here makes me happy." It was all she could think. Being here, on the ship with her favorite big brother, fighting for something, it was all she'd ever known. It was all she wanted. 

"One day you'll want something more. I can't wait till you realize it so I can tell you I told you so." He laughed. 

Oh, that sure as hell wasn't happening. She'd never let Jackson do that to her. But she wasn't that worried. She knew what she wanted from life. She just didn't know what to do during the down time. 

\--- 

In a way, her brother was right. She was discharged. But that didn't make things easier. Instead of going home, she ended up getting stuck with no money and no way back to her family. And Jackson was gone. If one more person told her how sorry they were for her loss she was going to clock them in the face. 

He wasn't dead. He was a man with a plan, her hero. And she knew deep in her heart that he was still alive. 

But that didn't matter. What mattered was her lack of funds and a clear path home. So she did the only reasonable thing. She joined the Apex games. Before joining she thought the armed forces, the best place in the world, was the only place she belonged. From her very first game she realized how wrong she was. 

She really felt like she understood her brother's words once she joined. At her low, after he vanished, stuck far from home, Anita only had time to chamber a single bullet. This was her one shot. And she finally felt like she was making it count. 

But playing in the games was like child wrangling. Which made her even more sure she wouldn't be mom of the year anytime soon. 

"Watch it!" Anita yelled, pulling Octane by his collar. He wanted to run head first into her air strike. Probably not the smartest move. And she knew that Bloodhound, who was also on her squad, would just let Octane do what he wanted. Bloodhound was good at taking advantage of Octane's distractions. 

"Just because you can't keep up compadre doesn't mean I shouldn't go in."

Honestly. Why did she have to get paired up with this kid so much? The other young ones were more tame. Lifeline knew what she was doing and she knew her way around a gun. And Wattson was pretty much the smartest kid she had met. But this fool… Octane was something special. 

She sighed, letting him go. If that's what he wanted. Why the heck not? She looked to Bloodhound as she loosened her grip on the kid. 

She didn't know much about Bloodhound. Nobody knew much about them. But one thing she did know was that they were a fighter. They never said die. She was pretty sure she could trust them to back her up if she had to go after Octane. 

But as the kid slipped out of her hands Bloodhound let out a sharp "The gods favor my aim today". 

They had covered her while she fought with the runt. Fighting off any snipers was a big help when you had to try to wrangle your child

"Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go!" Octane speeded ahead the moment his robotic feet hit the ground. 

"Octavio!" She yelled after him, calling him by his real name. It didn't slow him down like she had hopped.

She pulled out her G7, god it really was her favorite to handle, as she sped off after Octane. Bloodhound would cover them from a distance and catch up with they could. But in the meantime she would have to rush, not that she minded much. 

The weight of the gun in her hand as she ran felt right. Everything felt right. 

She was only here because of how her family trained her, because of how she grew up. She was here because of Jackson. Wherever he was, he was probably watching the games, watching her claw her way to the top. 

She went searching for a home, and thanks to her family she finally found the place she belonged. 


End file.
